Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The reason for the duplication is that there is a belief that the ACCC powers do not go far enough. Because we are not going to get the Trade Practices Act brought in here today so we that can change those powers, we have to try to put them into this act. That is why that is the case. In relation to the significant lessening of the competition test that has been brought up, the fact is that there is not a significant lessening of competition unless you can put up prices without affecting your demand, and I imagine that would be advertising revenue. The only time that really comes about is when there is a monopoly or almost a monopoly in the market. If that happens in the media market, we will have a major problem.

I acknowledge what Senator Conroy said about the public interest test. As I said, this is a magnum opus. I did not have the capacity to include and define a public interest test in it, with the time that we had available. It would really need to go a committee of all of its own, and that would need to come up with recommendations as to what a public interest test is.

Question put:

That the amendment (Senator Joyce’s) be agreed to.